The science of sports is one that has been rapidly advancing over the past few decades.
Training, nutrition, equipment and sports psychology have all grown in leaps and bounds, making today's professional athletes some of the most finely tuned machines on the planet.
When it comes to the sweet science, a 10-minute chat with Valley East Boxing Club vice president Peter Yannacoureas and you'll quickly realize he's as up to date as anyone when it comes to building and training athletes.
Not a physically imposing specimen, Yannacoureas stands no more than 5'7”, but for a man in his 80s he moves around like a man at least 20 years his junior, a clear sign he has practiced what he preaches.
“Training has changed so much from when I was starting out boxing,” said Yannacoureas.
“For me it was just, get in the ring and spar for an hour. There is so much more involved now — we build the athletes from the ground up and there's so much to be done before you get in the ring.”
Yannacoureas has travelled the world in his 68 years of involvement with the sport he clearly loves, but has always returned home to Sudbury and the Valley East club that has been open since 1972.
The walls at the Valley East Boxing Club are an homage to the legends of the sport, with photos of past Olympic champions, world champions, and products of the club itself like Bill Rannelli Jr., one of Sudbury's most decorated boxers of all time with five Canadian championships and a USA Gold Gloves silver medal to his credit.
Rannelli works as the club's president now and coaches some 35 members. Bill, along with his his brothers Rick, Dan, Tony, and Chris were a boxing dynasty in Sudbury for some years, and have been able to parlay their success into running the city's longest standing boxing club.
With dozens photos of champions adorning the club's walls, it's the photos of coaches that Yannacoureas spends the longest admiring, and speaks the most highly about.
Born in Greece before moving to Canada, Yannacoureas speaks with great reverence for the Cuban boxing system that he has implemented at his club. He spent time in Cuba and learned Spanish in order to gain a better knowledge of the training system used by one of the most successful boxing nations of all time.
He has taken clinics with legendary Cuban trainers like Dr. Alcides Sagarra Carón who produced a staggering 34 Olympic champions, as well as Pedro Roque Otano, whose fighters won 11 Olympic gold medals and was recruited by USA Boxing in 2012 to be an international teaching coach.
“Our teaching system is a systematic program of development of young athletes from six years old to elite boxers,” Yannacoureas said.
“We want them to be physically and mentally ready, we want them to know how to defend themselves. I don't want my guys to go in there and get hit.”
Strength training, flexibility, plyometrics and cardio are all part of the training at Valley East Boxing Club, which offers programs for more than just boxers.
“We have hockey players who come here to train as well,” said Yannacoureas, who trained former NHLer Al Secord in the off-season. “Back then, hockey players in North America didn't do any off-season training. In Europe they trained all year and Al wanted to do the same, so he was in here training in the summer.”
There may have been some fight training happening as well for Secord, who has more than 100 NHL fights to his name. The systems and training methods at Valley East Boxing Club are some of best in the country, according to Yannacoureas, but they are also blessed with a large space on the second floor of the Raymon Plourde Arena in Val Caron.
“This is the ideal layout of a boxing gym,” said Yannacoureas. “There's lots of space to move around, we have all the equipment and we can facilitate a large group of athletes at the same time.”
Kids as young as six, male or female, can join the club, though competitive training doesn't start until age 11.
Those interested in joining or learning more about Valley East Boxing Club can check them out online at ValleyEastBoxingClub.com, or for further questions on how to support the club, email [email protected].
